The present invention relates to a brake system on a motor vehicle for braking a pair of laterally spaced road wheels thereof which are coupled to each other through a differential.
Various brake mechanisms have heretofore been employed in combination with laterally spaced road wheels of motor vehicles. The brake mechanisms associated with the respective laterally spaced road wheels should produce well balanced braking forces which will be applied to the road wheels. If these braking forces were out of balance, the road wheels would be braked with braking forces of different intensity and the motor vehicle could not be braked properly. Therefore, a relatively complex maintenance procedure including a number of adjusting steps has been required to keep the brake mechanisms well balanced.
For high-speed and efficient transportation of goods, there are used many articulated trucks comprising a trailer for carrying a load and a tractor for hauling the trailer, the tractor being equipped with a drive power unit such as an engine.
The height and length of trailers are limited within certain dimensions according to traffic regulations. In order for the trailers to carry a maximum amount possible of cargo, therefore, the tires of the trailers should be of a minimum size required.
Since no drive power unit is mounted on a trailer, brake mechanisms for braking the independently rotatable, laterally spaced road wheels on the trailer are necessarily of limited dimensions. With the brake mechanisms thus dimensionally limited, the brake linings used in the brake mechanisms tend to wear soon, i.e., have a short service life, and therefore must be replaced at short intervals.